News

Kurt Busch Starting On Outside Pole At Dover On Sunday

May 31, 2008

Photo courtesy of Steve Rose

DOVER, Del. (May 30, 2008) - Kurt Busch will start his Miller Lite Dodge from the outside pole in Sunday's Best Buy 400 here at Dover International Speedway after turning in an official qualifying lap of 153.971 mph (23.381 seconds) in Friday's time trials session.

"Since Darlington, it seems like our numbers are getting better," said Busch, who has never started better than fourth in 15 prior races here on the "Monster Mile." "Practice and qualifying are one thing, but now we need to get us some great numbers in the race finishing position department."

Today's performance was Busch's best qualifying day tally since he started second at Atlanta last October. It marked the 13th time in his career that he took the outside pole for a Cup race. His best start this season prior to today was earlier this month at Darlington where he started fifth.

"I thought it was a great run for our team," said Busch. "The way the car unloaded off the hauler, I was very comfortable. I have to thank the crew for setting me up with that comfort. When you come to the ‘Monster Mile,' you are always a bit apprehensive on how your setup is going to shake down, whether it's tight or, on the bad side of things, loose. You don't want to be loose here.

"It was great for us today to qualify second with the Miller Lite Dodge," Busch continued. "I was trying to chase down (Greg) Biffle, but he ran an incredible lap. We've been testing a lot the last few weeks. It's helped to narrow down a setup maybe. It worked here. We hope it continues to work on down the road. To be good today is a small victory. We're just trying to claw our way back."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was first out in qualifying here this afternoon and his lap of 151.630 mph (23.742 seconds) held the point for only moments before Jeff Gordon took to the track fifth. His lap of 153.368 mph (23.473 seconds) held the provisional pole until Kyle Busch hit the track 10th in the order. The younger Busch Brother turned in a lap of 153.767 mph (23.412 seconds). Greg Biffle, out 26th, turned heads with his lap of 155.219 mph (23.193 seconds). Kurt, who was 35th of the 45 drivers that made attempts, was closest of the remaining drivers to Biffle's lap, but he had to settle for the outside-front-row starting spot.

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 470 major race wins, over 540 pole positions and 32 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 52-year history, the team has also earned 16 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. For 2018, Team Penske will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.